A 32-year-old North Carolina man is facing a felony involuntary manslaughter charge after his dogs allegedly attacked and killed an elderly woman outside her home last week.
The incident occurred just before 11 a.m. on May 19 in the 200 block of Alston Road, an area near Apex in Chatham County. According to the Chatham County Sheriff’s Office, a family member discovered the body of 85-year-old Betty Alston in her yard and had to chase away three dogs that were standing near her.
Authorities identified the owner of the animals as 32-year-old Dennis O’Keith Faulkner.
Deputies initially arrested Faulkner the day after the attack, charging him with three misdemeanor counts of allowing animals to roam away from their owner and three misdemeanor counts of failing to vaccinate a dog against rabies. He was briefly released after posting a $15,000 secured bond for those initial charges while investigators waited for an official ruling on how Alston died.
The felony manslaughter charge was tacked on this Wednesday after the North Carolina Office of the Chief Medical Examiner finalized its report, officially concluding that Alston died from an animal attack. Following the upgraded charge, Faulkner was re-arrested and is currently being held without bond. His first court appearance for the manslaughter charge is scheduled for June 3 in Chatham County.
The three dogs involved—which court warrants identify as two Cane Corsis and a bulldog mix—are currently in the custody of the Chatham County Sheriff’s Office.
Sheriff’s officials noted that deputies had been called to Faulkner’s property twice before for incidents involving two entirely different dogs, including a report last December that they had left his property. Faulkner later voluntarily surrendered those two dogs to the sheriff’s office in February.
However, deputies confirmed they had received no prior complaints or reports regarding the three specific dogs involved in the fatal May 19 attack.
READ: Pregnant And Armed: Alabama Woman Sentenced To Life For Killing Another Expectant Mother
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